A resume photo, a LinkedIn photo, and a job application photo sound like the same thing. They are not. Each one comes from a different tradition with its own expected size, and using the wrong one is one of the easiest small mistakes to make when applying for work internationally.

Should you even use a photo?

Before sizing anything, it is worth checking whether a photo belongs on your resume at all. In the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, a photo is generally discouraged and hiring teams are often trained to disregard or even set aside applications that include one, since it can introduce unconscious bias that anti discrimination hiring practices try to avoid. In much of Europe, Asia, and Latin America, the opposite is true. A professional photo is standard practice on a CV, and leaving it off can look incomplete.

The international CV photo: 35 by 45 mm

Where a photo is expected, the standard size across most of Europe and Asia is 35 by 45 mm, the same proportions used for many passport photos in the region. At 300 DPI that works out to roughly 413 by 531 pixels for a digital upload. A plain white, light grey, or soft blue background and a genuinely neutral, professional expression are expected here, closer in spirit to a passport photo than a casual headshot.

The US style square: 2 by 2 inches

Where a photo is specifically requested on a US application, the format that shows up most often is a 2 by 2 inch square, equivalent to 600 by 600 pixels at 300 DPI. This is the exact same size as a US passport photo, which means a photo you already have for that purpose will often work here too, as long as the expression and attire suit a professional resume rather than a travel document.

Resize an existing headshot to the exact square or 35 by 45 mm dimensions a resume or CV needs.

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LinkedIn: bigger than you would think

LinkedIn technically accepts a minimum of 400 by 400 pixels, but the platform recommends uploading at least 800 by 800 pixels so the photo stays sharp across phones, tablets, and high resolution monitors. Your photo displays inside a circular crop everywhere on the platform, so keep your face centered with a reasonable margin around it rather than filling the entire square edge to edge.

ATS portals and career sites

Applicant tracking systems and company career portals vary the most, but a safe default is a square crop at a minimum of 600 by 600 pixels, with 1200 by 1200 preferred for systems that display the photo larger elsewhere. JPEG is the format almost universally accepted, and older portals sometimes cap the file size at 1 to 2 megabytes, so a heavily compressed high resolution photo is usually safer than an uncompressed one that gets rejected on upload.

A quick reference

Frequently asked questions

Should I even put a photo on my resume?

It depends entirely on where you are applying. In the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, a photo is generally discouraged and can even work against you due to anti discrimination hiring norms. In much of Europe, Asia, and Latin America, a photo is standard practice and its absence can look unusual.

What size photo does LinkedIn actually need?

LinkedIn accepts a minimum of 400 by 400 pixels, but recommends at least 800 by 800 for a clean display across devices. The photo is cropped to a circle, so keep your face centered with some margin around it.

Can I reuse my passport photo for a resume or CV?

Often yes, since a European style CV photo (35 by 45 mm) is close to many passport formats. A US resume photo at 2 by 2 inches matches the US passport size exactly. The background and expression requirements are usually similar too.

Once you know which size applies to your situation, the Photo Resizer can get an existing headshot to the exact pixel dimensions or file size a specific platform expects.